Membership

The Mayor shall appoint two council members as Co-Chairs of the Task Force who
shall also serve as voting members. The Co-Chairs shall preside over the Task Force meetings and set the agenda. The Co-Chairs shall also be the spokespersons for the Task Force unless this responsibility is delegated in writing. View the Task Force Member Roster (PDF).

Appointment

The Mayor shall appoint the members of the Task Force with the intent of including individuals representing the following categories within the community:

• Two members of the City Council;
• Two members representing the Boards and Commissions of the City of Santa Rosa; and
• Seven members from the community representing residents from all regions of the city, neighborhood associations, faith-based communities, schools, community-based organizations, and the business community.

All Task Force members shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor. Any vacancies will be filled in the same manner as original appointments.

Support Staff

The City Clerk will provide staff support to the Task Force for meeting notification, agenda preparation, clerical support, information gathering and arrangements for guest speakers, all to the extent permitted by staffing and budgetary limitations. Additional staff support will be provided by the Assistant City Manager and Community Engagement Coordinator. The City Attorney's Office will provide legal advice to the Task Force as recommended. There is no budget allocation for the work of the Task Force and participation on the Task Force is as a volunteer.

Purpose and Authority

The purpose of this Task Force is to review applicable law, city policy and practice, and related information in order to develop a report that will inform the community about the current status of open and transparent government practice in the City of Santa Rosa; to review the exceptions, limitations and restrictions imposed by State or Federal law or Constitution; and to present options for improvement or additional best practices that the Mayor and City Council may wish to consider.

The Task Force's authority shall be advisory only and its existence will terminate when a final report has been issued and submitted to the Mayor and subsequently presented to the City Council in a study session. Such final report shall be posted to the City's website when submitted for general public distribution and review.

Public Meetings

The Task Force is a special committee created by the Mayor to study important public policy matters and shall be subject to the open meeting laws of the State of California. Therefore, all meetings of the Task Force shall be properly noticed by publication of the agenda in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act, and be open to the public with opportunity for public comment. Summary minutes shall be maintained of the meetings. The parliamentary authority for this Task Force will be Rosenberg’s Rules of Order except as may be superseded by local, state or federal law.